Senate Bill 210 proposes significant changes to the criteria and processes for designating recipients of academic excellence higher education scholarships in Wisconsin. The bill aims to repeal several existing provisions related to the scholarship program, including the specific criteria for high school enrollment sizes that determine how many seniors can be nominated for the scholarship. Notably, it amends the eligibility criteria to allow any high school with at least one pupil but fewer than 500 pupils to designate one senior without requiring a nomination process from the Higher Educational Aids Board (HEAB). Additionally, the bill clarifies that seniors eligible for the scholarship do not include those enrolled in home-based private educational programs.

The bill also makes various amendments to existing statutes, including changing the definition of a "senior" to exclude home-based private educational program students and adjusting the language regarding the selection process for scholars based on grade point averages. The amendments remove the previous requirement for high schools with at least 80 pupils to follow a nomination process, thereby streamlining the process for designating scholarship recipients. Overall, the bill seeks to simplify the scholarship allocation process and expand access to deserving students across a broader range of high school enrollments.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 39.41(1)(bm), 39.41, 39.41(1m)(a)1, 39.41(1m)(b), 39.41(1m)(c)3, 39.41(1m)(c)4, 39.41(1m)(c)5, 39.41(1m)(d), 39.41(1m)(e), 39.41(1m)(g), 39.41(1m)(h), 39.41(1m)(j), 39.41(1m)(m), 39.41(8)